Music and Might
by xXNightmaresKilledAliceXx
Summary: Some say that time heals all wounds but for Luka time just made them worse. When Lukas father, known as Big Al, gets into a gambling habit and gains massive debt Luka and her family are rendered homeless. Can music bring happiness into Lukas life or will it, like her family, make everything worse? (LukaXGakupo)
1. Chapter 1

"_Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,_

_But the very next day you gave it away._

_This year, to save me some tears_

_I'll give it someone special." _

"Ugh"

The wind nipped against her neck and her thin, long, pink, hair blew in the wind. Luka stuck out her tongue at the sound coming from the shop. Christmas music. So cheery. She hated it.

She pulled her grey hoodie tighter around her and stopped in her tracks on the sidewalk and looked up. Pure white flurries fell from the dark clouded sky.

_Snow. _

Luka rubbed her hands against her arms to try to warm herself up. Of course, wearing a thin cotton hoodie in the middle of December was not the best idea. As she walked along the streets of Brooklyn, her heart grew heavy. The lights from the many shops and the tall buildings illuminated the fog in the air making the world look hazy.

As the buildings grew smaller and the shops grew shabbier a sense of dread welled up in Luka. Her brown leather boots, which were two sizes to big, walked at a steady pace down the sidewalk until finally she reached a two story building.

It was made of dingy looking bricks and the doors and window shutters were made of brown rotting wood. There was a sign hanging above the door that said:

**Mocha Fresh Coffee Cafe**

An abandoned cafe.

Luka let out a breath and watched the fog billow from her mouth. She rubbed her hands together and nudged the door open with the tip of her boot. She winced as the door squeaked open.

The inside of the cafe was dark and there was a few tables and chairs. To the left was a counter and a shattered cake stand on it. The glass covered the dusty bar. The only illumination in the room was a soft light coming from a slightly ajar door behind the counter.

Luka stepped around the broken glass and made her way to the door trying to go as slow as possible.

She opened the door and saw a rickety set of stairs.

She could now hear the sounds of some midnight sitcom re-runs.

Luka climbed the stairs only using the pads of her feet. (Which was hard with her wearing boots, and all.)

When she finally reached the top of the staircase Luka saw the thing that she hated most.

Her family.

"LUKA! SWEEEEETIIIIEEEE, MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Luka stopped in her tracks. In the tiny room that made the second floor there was very few pieces of furniture. A single mattress on the floor, a small T.V and antenna, also sitting on the floor. There was a table from downstairs that had empty McDonalds bags and unlit joints. The walls had green flowered wallpaper. (Which you could barely see anymore because it was peeling so bad. )

Her mother was wearing a pink bathrobe and her black, graying, hair was in tangles around her face. She was holding a nearly empty cheap bottle of wine in one hand and was reaching towards Luka with the other one.

Her mother stumbled and nearly hit the ground when Luka caught her.

"Mom, it's not Christmas yet." Luka grabbed the bottle from her and guided her back to the mattress.

" Yes, Luka, it is. Don't talk back. Janna doesn't talk back. "

Luka was confused for a second then looked at the TV screen to see the Christmas special of The Brady Bunch. Janna was one the daughters on the show.

Luka shook her head and sat her mom down on the bed and pushed gently on her chest so that she would lay down.

The bed was small and already occupied by her dad. Everyone called him Big Al. The dirt and greasy blanket was strewn over him and Luka pulled some off of him and placed it over her mom.

"Get some rest. It will be Christmas soon." Luka said and kissed her mom's forehead.

Luka stood there for a few minutes waiting for the steady sound of her mother's sleep. When she finally heard her moms normal breathing she reached into the pocket of her mothers bathrobe and grabbed a pocket knife. Just in case.

Luka crept down the stairs. Now. Where to go?

_Ah. I'll go to Truce._

Truce was a club that played music and served drinks like any other club. The thing about Truce was that it served free drinks to anyone who the bartender deemed "hot". Guy or girl, it did not matter. If you were cute then you got a few drinks. Age was not a huge factor. Of course, a twelve year old would not qualify.

Luka exited the cafe and started to walk back the way that she had come. It was barely snowing now and it seemed that none of the snow had stuck to the ground.

Luka stopped in front of a closed Goodwill and looked at her reflection in the window.

Her long pink hair was in low ponytail that fell around her shoulders. It was only clean because she once the local gym closed at 7 she would sneak in and use their showers.

Her face was small and her cheeks were red from the cold. Her head was covered by the hood of her grey hoodie. Below that she had on a pair of ripped jeans with black leggings underneath and her brown boots.

Luka dusted off her pants and walked around the side of the building and down a grimy ally with dumpsters lining the sides. Until she found a brick wall with a hole bashed in it. Light, music and people flooded from it. Her heart leapt when she heard the music and she felt like dancing.

The people coming out varied in every way possible. Some came out with frosted tip hair and body glitter coating themselves. Other, mostly girls, wore slutty santa outfits and had on too much makeup. A few guys went in dressed up as their favorite show character. One was dressed like Ash Ketchum. Then, there were some, like her, who dressed casual.

There was a line of people leaning against the wall behind two posts with CAUTION tape in between. Some were laughing while some were making their ways to the back of the line while mumbling under their breath.

_Probably rejected by Leon. _Luka thought to herself.

Luka sucked in a breath and lifted her chin, so that she would look confident. Confidence always made you look better.

She walked up to the big guy with bleached hair and fake red eyelashes that sat on the stool beside the door. Leon. She smiled and pointed inside. Asking permission. Leo looked her up and down with critical eyes and finally, after what seemed like forever, nodded.

She smiled to herself and pulled off her hood and walked inside.

_This was her real home. This is where she felt she belonged._


	2. Chapter 2

_I can hear the music._

_I can hear the beat._

_I can hear the pure sound. _

Luka was assaulted by lights and colors when she entered the club. Not just from the dance floor but from the people. The people in line and exiting the club were not nearly as crazy looking as the ones inside.

With her hood up and covering her eyes, Luka made her way to the bar. She loved appearing mysterious to people. Even though she wasn't. When she looked in the mirror when she had her hood up she loved the way the shadows covered eyes making them look big and exotic.

Luka remembered the time when her mom was.. normal.

*FLASHBACK*

"Mommy, help me. I was burning. B-burning!"

Luka laid huddled under the cover with her head resting on her knees and her cheeks wet with tears. She had had another nightmare.

"Luka, sweetie, tell mommy what it was about. You'll feel better if you talk about it. "

Luka's mom rubbed her back and hugged her. It was the middle of the night and this was the third time in a row that Luka had woken up in the middle of the night from these nightmares. They were terrible.

"I-I was in my bed. Here. Like I am now. In the dream I woke up and I smelled smoke. There was so much _noise. _I couldn't hear anything. I-I smelled smoke and I jumped up and opened my door and there were flames everywhere. Everywhere. I saw you and daddy sitting in the living room on the gray couch. You were happy and laughing..."

Luka trailed off and shook her, attempting to wipe the mental image from her mind. No more.

"Go on, Luka, dear. Tell mommy. It will make you feel better. I promise. Trust mommy. " Luka's mom hugged Luka and looked at her with her wide brown eyes. Waiting, expecting, her to continue.

With a shaky voice Luka started again.

" Y-you guys were happy and laughing but you were burning. You guys were covered in flames. I screamed for you guys to run. I couldn't go in to the fire and you guys could not hear me. "

Luka stopped and laid down and pulled the covers over her head. Her mom pulled the covers off of her head and smiled at her.

"Luka, if you ever feel like you are burning, If the world is in flames, just remember that your eyes are blue. Like the sea. Your eyes, which are the color of water, can extinguish the fire." Her mom pointed at Luka's eyes.

"Daddy gave you those, right? You have the same eyes." Her mom smiled a warm smile.

At that moment Luka's dad pushed open Luka's door and smiled at her. His blue eyes shining in the dark.

"Always remember that, Luka. No matter how heated life gets just know that you can extinguish the flames. "

"Goodnight, Luka."

"Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy"

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Luka looked to her left and saw the bartender serving drink to the many customers. She watched as he bickered with a few about whether or not the person in question was too drunk for another drink.

Beside the bar there was a group of girls talking to him. The music was so loud that she could not hear what was being said, anyways.

She continued to watch as the bartender, who was in his late twenties, shook his head at one girl and nodded to another one. After a few seconds he handed a drink to the girl he had nodded at while the other one sulked with the rest of her friends.

Luka grinned and pushed her way through the crowd of dancing and chatting people towards the bar. She walked up and waited behind the girls, all dressed in black or gray, until they finally moved.

She looked at the bartender. He had long-ish black hair that was tied in a short pony tail. He wore an outfit, that looked like something out of the 1930's, with a white dress shirt and black slacks with a pair of brown suspenders and a tan fedora. Legend was that he dated several models, even though he was so old looking.

That is why everyone trusted his judgement when it came to looks because even though he did not have much he had a charisma that seemed to attract models and the like.

Luka smiled at him and waved. She kept her hood low but pulled it up so that the bartender could see her eyes. Everyone liked her hair and eyes. The bartender got one look at her eyes and he held four of his fingers up.

_Great. Four out of five. Four Bloody Mary's here I come. _

The deal was that the bartender would look at you and if he shook his head then you got nothing. If he just nodded then you got one drink. If he held up a number, out of five, then that was how many drinks you got. Lets just say that a three was probably what probably what your typical high school cheerleaders or lolita's would get.

Luka grinned and sat down on one of the vacant splatter painted stools. They were splattered with glow in the dark paint so that they glowed. Pretty cool, huh?

The bartender looked at her.

"Bloody Mary."

He shook his head. He could not hear her.

"BLOODY MARY!"

That seemed to have done the trick because he nodded and started choosing different bottles.

Luka hunched over a little and pulled her hood down. She listened to the music and closed her eyes. Enjoying the greatness of all the sounds. She listened to one song, which sounded like Hunter Moore, and was immediately excited when it changed.

This was always her reaction. Luka felt like getting up and dancing around to hearts content. She felt like singing at the top of her lungs.

_But that would ruin her image. _

She was trying to look mysterious. Secretive. Sly, devious. Mystical, even.

Ever since Luka stopped going to school Luka had always tried to put up an image.

_If they know you, they know your weakness. _

That was what she thought.

" IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?

IS THIS JUST FANTASY?

CAUGHT IN A LANDSLIDE

NO ESCAPE FROM REALITY."

Once Luka had grabbed her drink from the bartender she swiveled around in her stool and looked to the source of the noise.

"Eh?!"

Luka was taken aback when she saw a girl dancing and singing on top of a box speaker. Some people were laughing and cheering while some where making booing sounds.

The girl, who was singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, had long green hair that was in two high pigtails and swirled around her.

She was dancing around like a madman.

The bodyguard's had started to reach up at her but she just kicked away their hand with her black thigh high boots.

She was laughing and...

_Having a great time. _

Something in Luka was upset about that.

Why can a girl, who is so obviously obnoxious, have a good time while everyone is probably thinking that she is stupid?

Luka set her drink down and got up from her stool. She had had enough of this craziness.

She made her way through the laughing crowd and halted in her tracks when she realized that, while the music and laughing was still going, everyone was looking at her.

She looked up to the speaker and saw the girl, who had outstanding green eyes that could have rivaled her own, was pointing at her and gesturing to the speaker in the other corner of the room.

Luka smiled and took a step towards the girl when she stopped.

_What am I doing? _Luka thought to herself.

She quickly spun on her heel and shoved through the people to the door.

Leon raised an eyebrow as she left but said nothing.

* * *

Luka ran down the ally and back on to the street. She assumed that it was about two in the morning so she decided to take a detour on her way home.

Luka wandered in ally's all while humming to herself.

Now that she was alone Luka could show herself.

Even though it was freezing, Luka would have rather been in the smelly and graffiti covered ally's then at home watching re-runs and not being able to sleep. Probably because she slept on the cold floor. The only reason that she did not have hypothermia was because Luka would occasionally do jumping jacks or sprinted up and down the stairs so that she could stay warm.

Luka stopped in her tracks when she saw something from up ahead. Two figures.

Luka waited for the two figures to show themselves.

As they got closer she could see that they were two teenagers that looked about fourteen. One was a girl and one was a boy. They both had blonde hair and electric blue eyes.

While Luka's eyes looked the ocean these kids eyes looked like someone took diamonds and put them in their eyes. Pretty but in a daifferent sort of way from Luka's.

It was obvious that they had just come form Club Truce because of what they were wearing. They were also holding hands. They looked like siblings or maybe they were a couple...?

The girl was wearing a yellow dress shirt and a black tail coat. She had on black skinny jeans and had on yellow sneakers. She also had a joker mask pulled up and over so that it covered one eye. The other eye had a black star with golden glitter painted underneath.

The boy was wearing something similar. Except the exact opposite. He had on a black dress shirt and a yellow tail coat. He had on black slacks, the same as the girl, but was wearing, which probably started out as white, sneakers which had been coated in glue then in golden glitter. He also wore the exact same Joker mask except his covered the left eye while hers covered the right eye. Under his right eye had a golden diamond that was outlined in black.

Then they burst into song.

" Hello! My name's Len" The boy sang and pointed at himself.

" Hello? My name's Rin" The girl sang in a higher octave and pointed at herself.

" My name means Left." The boy sang and pointed at himself, again.

" My name means Right" The girl sang and pointed at herself, again.

With their hands still intertwined they threw there other hands up and black and yellow confetti was thrown at Luka.

" WE ARE GOING TO LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT!"

They finished their song (or rhyme?) while yelling and grinned stupidly while staring at her.

Luka had confetti all over her and she just stared.

_What the hell? _


	3. Chapter 3

_What the hell? W-was I just assaulted with...confetti...? _

"Now give us your money!"

"Eh?"

"You heard us! We want all of your cash or any valuables. Preferably not any change. Though, quarters are excepted. "

The kids were smiling at her. Such stupid grins.

Luka looked down quickly and she saw that, while they were still holding hands, they both had a small golden hand guns in their other free hands. They matched which, as of now, was unsurprising.

"M-My money? Ha! I have nothing. Shoot me if you want. All that you will get is a mess!"

Luka laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. Foolish kids.

They looked at her for a second then looked at what she was wearing. Their mouths formed the shape of "o"'s and they turned to each other then they started whispering to each other. Luka could not hear but she did catch some words.

"Run?" "Hot Coffee?"

_What were they talking about? _

Luka looked at them for a second then laughed and ran back to the main street.

They could not get her now.

As she ran down the street that were aglow with shop lights and people who grumbled when she pushed by people. Some of them glared. Did she care? Nope.

She had one destination and it was that shit hole that she called a home. She had no where else to go. She could not go to Club Truce. She had to go home. She looked up and saw that on one of the buildings there was a glowing red sign that advertised the temperature and the time.

**4:03**

**33ºF **

**Happy Holidays!**

She sighed and kept running down the now empty sidewalks. The only up side to all of this was that her running kept her warm...ish.

* * *

"Don't Worry! My daughter will be home soon and she will clear this whole _mess_ up! You'll see!"

Luka's mother stood in the middle of the old cafe in front of a man. His hair was brown and kind of rumpled and he wore a brown suit. His glasses were a little askew but he held himself with confidence.

"Wait, wait, wait. What the hell's going on here?" Luka stepped into the cafe. The lights were still out. Everything was still a mess. Nothing changed.

" I am Hiyama Kiyoteru and I have been following, you Ms. Luka Megurine, for the past two weeks. It is obvious that you are in an unfit environment and you need to be taken somewhere safe immediately."

" Wait.. you've been following me?"

"Yes, it was necessary to lead a thorough investigation. I have watched as you go to clubs, you drink illegally and you, the child, is taking care of the adults when it should be the other way around. "

At this moment Kiyoteru took out a small yellow notepad and he cleared his throat.

" Mr. and Mrs. Megurine you have both been charged with child abuse, drug use, invasion of..." He look around at the cafe. "Property.. and theft. I am now going to take this child. "

He reached out to grab my wrist but I jerked back.

"I don't want to-"

" If we let you take her can we be relieved of all charges and get one hundred dollars in cash?"

Luka gaped at her mother. How could she do this. She was, at the moment, seemed to be sober. Luka remember how only hours ago she had put her mother to bed because she as too drunk to do it herself.

" This is ridiculous!" Kiyoteru exclaimed.

" Luka has a pocket knife on her. If we ask her to use it then she probably will."

Her mother continued with her hands on her hips. "Also, my husband here is almost twice the size of you. " Big Al, who had remained silent through the whole situation and had been leaning against the wall, straightened his back and loomed over the man.

He was indeed a threat.

"F-Fine. You will be relieved of your charges and you will get your one hundred dollars but just know that I am doing this for the child."

Luka winced at being called a child. She was a _woman. _Luka stepped back but she felt a pair of insanely strong hands go around her.

Her father, who was quicker than he looked, had grabbed her and was carrying her out of the building and towards a sleek black car. She had no idea what type it was but it looked expensive. He had jerked the back seat door opened and threw her in the car and slammed the door shut.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Luka screamed out what she had called them when she was a little girl and before they had changed. Before society had changed them.

She tried jerking the door open but her dad was leaning against it.

Luka closed her mouth and felt tears rolling down her face as she saw her mom wave her hand and blow a kiss at her.

_These tears feel sharp. These tears burn. These tears are so cold. _

Luka's head jerked up as when she heard the front door of the car slam shut and Kiyoteru placed his hands on the steering wheel and smiled a comforting smile at her from the rear view mirror.

" I know this is hard now, but it was for the best. "

" That place was all that I have...or had. "

"Y'know. I have a daughter. Younger than you. Her name is Yuki. "

"...Why the hell are you telling me this?..."

Kiyoteru sighed and kept looking at the road. "Just trying to make conversation, I guess."

"Well, I am not really in the mood for conversing. Y'know I just basically got kidnapped from my fami-"

Kiyoteru pulled over on the side of the highway and slammed the breaks. He then spun his head around.

"Those... People... were not your family! They were a responsibility on you. You took care of them when they are supposed to take care of you!"

Luka sat there is silence and looked out the window as he pulled back onto the road.

"Hello? This is Kiyoteru... Yeah. I've got her. She is safe but the family would only give her up if they received no charges...Yeah."

It took Luka a second to realize that he as on the phone...talking about her.

Luka had so many feeling swirling inside of her.

_Pain, Hate, Sorrow, Jealousy of that girl Yuki, happiness_.

It felt someone had stabbed her chest and pierced her heart.

_I was traded. Like a slave. Like I was property. What right did they have? I have done so much for them! I hate them._

Once Luka had thought it she knew that it was a lie. She loved them. She was ashamed of that fact and she was ashamed that the love was unrequited. She felt so foolish. So... in pain.

"Here we are. I was told that you would be staying at my place until we can find you a new home."

Luka was snapped from her thoughts when she heard the guys voice.

She opened the door of the car and slid out. Her boots hit the gravel and se was struck with the sounds of the city.

_It sounds just like... home. _

Luka looked up and saw a set of brick apartment complex's. Kiyoteru was leaning against the car with a lit cigarette in his mouth and his thumbs in his pant pockets.

"Alright, Ms. Luka, follow me. You will soon meet my beloved Yuki. It's a little small but we have a kitchenette and a shower. You can share a room with Yuki for now or take the couch if you want. "

Luka was led up a set of stairs on the side of the building and down the the second door on the third floor.

Kiyoteru fished some keys out of his pocket and opened the door.

" This is it. Your new home. "


	4. Chapter 4

"Eh..? It's so...dark. "

Luka stepped in to the small room with dark navy walls and a small overhead light. She sniffed and it smelled like a mix of dust and Febreez... two clashing scents. Like someone had tried to make the place smell good but had failed miserably.

"Yeah, well, it has always been a guest room so we just painted it with whatever we had lying around. " Kiyoteru scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

"The kitchens down the hall and to the left and the bathroom is right beside here. Yuki will be home in about an hour from her friends house. Her room is on the other side of the bathroom. Your curfew is...ah...hmm.. 10pm." Kiyoteru smiled and was about to exit the room.

"Y'know, I am grateful and all for this but I am not going to follow your rules. I am not your daughter. You did not adopt me." Luka sat down on the white oak bed and crossed her legs. She looked smugly at him.

"Damn. I did not think that you would be going through your rebellious phase already. "

Luka gaped at him as Kiyoteru closed her door.

"Oh! I almost forgot, you start at your school in about a week."

Luka continued to gape at the closed door when she fell back on her bed.

" What am I doing here?"

Luka sat up and turned around to see a window that looked out over a semi-busy street. She was about two stories up. She jiggled on the window locks until they popped open and she shoved the window up. She leaned out and her pink hair blew around her face. She smelled the city; it smelled terrible and that is exactly what she loved about it.

She smiled. It slightly resembled home.

She turned around to grab her small brown bag when she thought to herself.

_Once I leave, am I coming back?_

She slid out the window and jumped down onto the ground leaving the bag behind.

* * *

"Oi! Watch it, chick!"

"Shut up, asshat! I was just walking! _You _about killed _me!"_

Luka stood in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips. She was glaring at a black limousine with tinted windows. She could not see the persons face but while she was walking across the road that douche almost killed her.

"Y'know what? Screw you! Screw your car! Screw your life! Screw whoever you are driving in there! Screw it!" Luka stomped the rest of the way across the street ignoring the many honks and yells from the waiting cars.

She huffed and pulled her hood up. It was not snowing but it was still just as freezing as it was at home.

"...Idiot about killed me...Imma' kill him. I will..." Luka mumbled to herself as she made her way down the sidewalk.

The streets here were not as busy and there was not nearly as many shops but Luka grinned and her blue eyes lit up when she saw a department store. She peeked in the windows and saw a giant christmas tree in the middle of the room and women with small purses, but with large coats, walking around and examining the cases. It seemed like the first floor of this place was accessories. Perfect.

* * *

"Hello, um, how much are those red gloves. I am not seeing a price tag..." Luka spoke to a passing man dressed in a white dress shirt but green and red tie. He glanced at the gloves then looked Luka up and down making note of her gray hoodie and dirty boots.

"Heh, those are the Boleyn Collection. They just came in today and I am pretty sure that they are more than you can afford."

With that the man smirked and walked away.

Luka grinned and closely examined the gloves until she found the price tag. She grabbed them and made her way to the near by restrooms.

She entered the bathrooms and walked into a stall. She used the bathroom and went over to wash her hands. When she grabbed some paper towels to dry them she wadded up the glove that had a tag and quickly ripped off the tag while she was rubbing them with the paper towel. The tag was thrown away.

Luka was about to leave when she sprinkled some water onto the gloves to make it look like she had been out into the cold and wet outside.

She slipped them on her hands and walked out into the store.

She glanced at the man who she had spoken to in the beginning as she made her way to the exit.

"Wait! Hold it right there. Girl, with the pink hair!"

Luka stopped and widened her blue eyes in an innocent way. She twirled around.

"You mean me, sir?"

The man was obviously a security guard. He looked like a wimpy police man.

"Yeah, you! Do you plan on paying for those?" The man grabbed at her gloved hands.

"Eh-"

"Yes, she does. I have the money right here. She was just coming to meet me at the door. "

Luka turned around to see a man - or guy, more like- wearing a black trench coat and bright purple mittens...that matched his purple hair. He had purple eyes too, probably contacts, but the thing that made him look different than the other was that he was grinning so...

Moronically.

"And who might you be?"

"I am her beloved brother. She lost her wallet and had called me and asked if I could help her out for the gloves."

Luka gaped at him then looked at the guard and nodded.

"This is my... beloved brother." Luka smiled sweetly.

"A-are you guys part of the circus...? Because your hair looks like a clowns." The security guard glanced at Lukas pink hair and the mystery mans purple hair that was in a pony tail.

"Well, exCUSEEEE me, Sir, for following the latest trends. Colored hair is in right now, thank you very much." The Mystery man crossed his arm over his chest and looked at the guard.

"So, how much are the gloves?" The Mystery man continued with a grin on his face again.

The security guard looked at a little scanning device.

"450."

"Wow, surprisingly cheap for gloves! Only 4 dollars!"

"No. Four hundred and fifty dollars."

The Mystery Man quickly lost his smile.

* * *

"Soooo...Luka. Where do you go to school?"

Luka sat on the warm leather seats of a familiar black limousine. It was familiar because she had previously called the driver an asshat. Heh Heh. She sat beside Kamui, the Mystery Man, rather awkwardly because she had never ridden in a car so nice before and she felt rather embarrassed.

"I don't know. I have not been enrolled yet." Luka saw Kamui's look of surprise and she blushed. This was unlike her. Luka did not feel embarrassed. Luka did not blush.

"Ah, new kid?"

Luka nodded and continued to look down with her pink hair in her face. It was silky because she had showered the day before. Usually, it would have been a mess from her dancing at Truce, the club previously visited, but, due to the fact that her visit there was brief, her hair was normal.

Luka jumped when she felt her hair being pulled a little.

She looked up and saw that Kamui had picked up a strand and was staring at it.

"It looks like cotton candy... that must mean that you are sweet, right?"

"How did my hair lead to that?!"

Kamui grinned and let go of her hair.

Luka was surprised when she was sad when he let go.

"Alright, so, why were trying to steal those gloves?" Kamui tilted his head to the left and his purple hair fell over his head.

Luka shook her head to wipe the thought of him being cute from her mind.

"I was cold. I wanted my hands to be warm. That's all." Luka crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him.

"Hm, that was simpler than I thought. I thought you were just a girl going through a rebellious phase."

Luka glared at him. "I am 17, so I am not a girl. Please, stop being so god damned condescending. Please."

Luka huffed and leaned back on the seat. She had told the chauffeur her address before she had gotten in and she was now starting to see some vaguely familiar sites when she heard laughing.

She looked and Kamui was laughing his head off.

"Ahahah, You're funny. I like it. Friends?" Kamui smiled and stuck out his hand to her. He stared at her with those purple eyes.

Luka gaped at the hand then closed her mouth and pointed at him.

"On one condition! You have to tell me... do you wear contacts?"

Kamui looked taken back for a second when he put on a sly smile.

"No, I do not. Luka, you will soon learn that there are many mysteries in this world that can't be explained."

He extended his hand a little further to her and she reluctantly took it.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

_Why does everyone think that I am going through a rebellious phase? _Luka thought.


	5. Chapter 5

" I deeply apologize for my... friend, here."

Luka stood outside the door of Kiyoteru's apartment with this Gakupo fellow standing beside her.

"Ahah, it was no problem. Really!" Kamui grinned and patted Luka on the head. Luka frowned and went inside. When she walking past Kiyoteru and into the door she realized that when he had patted her head he was touching a piece of her hair again.

When Luka realized this she felt her face go red and she bent her head down so that her pink hair would cover her face.

"Well, if there is anything that we can do to make it up to you just tell us. I would pay you back the money for the gloves but I am deeply sorry to tell you that we don't have that kind of money."

Kiyoteru looked embarrassed but Kamui looked as carefree as ever. He grinned.

"No, no. Don't you worry. Hm.. let's see. You could repay me by all of you joining me at my house for lunch tomorrow!" Kamui looked like a little kid with his purple eyes shining brightly.

Kiyoteru looked taken aback for a second then he merely smiled. "Of course. Would you mind if we added one more. I have a daughter, Yuki, who is smaller. Would it be okay if she joined us?"

Kamui grinned and nodded.

_Good God he might be retarded. _

"Well, thank you for helping Luka out and we will definitely be there for lunch tomorrow."

Kiyoteru was about to close the door when Kamui gasped and wrote down something on a piece of scrap paper that he pulled out from his coat pocket.

"Here."

"Ah, your address, good thinking."

The two guys smiled at each other and Kiyoteru closed the door. Luka gaped when she saw Kamui wink at her before the door closed.

_Goddamn Perv. _

Luka turned around and was about to wander back to her room when she felt Kiyoteru grab her wrist. She stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. She knew what was coming and she was prepared for it. When her parents started drinking, getting hit was there new form of punishment. Luka turned around to face him and she flinched when she saw him raise his hand.

"You don't need to do things like stealing to tell me that you are unhappy here. If you have somewhere else that you would prefer to go, then I will send you."

Luka widened her eyes when she realized that Kiyoteru was ruffling her hair and not striking her. She closed her eyes and felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She shook her head.

"I...don't have anywhere else." Luka looked at Kiyoteru and he smiled a comforting smile.

The words stung as she spoke them because they made her come to a staggering truth. _She had nowhere else to go. _

"Then, I guess we are stuck with each other."

Luka smiled and nodded and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Don't forgot Yuki!"

Luka turned around when she heard the chipper voice of a young girl. The girl, who she assumed was Yuki, was probably the cutest little girl in history. She had big eyes and dark hair that was a shade darker than Kiyoteru's brown hair. Her hair was in two short pigtails and she was wearing a red flowered jumper and blue and white striped leggings. She was smiling and she ran up to Luka and hugged her. She was about three and a half feet tall.

"Daddy! Is this Luka? My new sister?" Yuki grinned at her father and hugged Lukas legs.

"Ah, Yuki, sweetie. She is just going to be here for a little while so let's say that she will be your new friend. "

Luka watched Yuki's reaction to this and the child's smile wavered a bit but then she glanced up at Luka and smiled.

"Luka! Let's be friends!"

Luka leaned down and extended her hand. She was about to retract it when she saw that it was dirty.

_Just like the rest of myself. _

Luka thought about this and pulled her hand back when she felt Yuki's small hand grasp hers. The hand was so small and warm and she had a stamp in the middle that had a smiley face saying "Good Job!". Probably from her school.

"Friends!" Yuki said in her cutesy voice.

Luka was a little taken aback but she smiled back. "Friends."

"Ah, Yuki, I need to go take a shower. How about we play once I get out?" Luka looked at Kiyoteru for permission but he just smiled and nodded at her.

"Alright then."

* * *

Luka placed her hands on the wet walls of the shower and she bent her head down. She was not crying. She had faced the fact that her parents were not her responsibility any more. She no longer had to make the walk to the cafe and wonder if her parents had died of hypothermia while she was out. She no longer had to sneak into the back of the local gym and stand the cold showers because the employees had turned off the water heater before they left.

She no longer had to go to a rave club and stand next to dancing people as her only way of getting heat. She no longer had to jog to her old house and pretend that she could walk through the door, like when she was six, and be greeted by her mom.

She no longer had to tear her mind apart due to the fact that she sometimes wished that her parents were dead.

_She no longer had to worry that tomorrow would be worse. _

"Sometimes we are less unhappy in being deceived by those we love, than in being undeceived by them"

Luka spoke the words that she had seen spray painted on wall near her old home.

They had been there for as long as she had known and she did not know who wrote them. Not even who painted them but they had stuck in her mind.

* * *

"So, Mrs. Coudel had asked Marc to stop hitting Sarah but he did not stop so he got sent out into the hallway while the class continued free time."

"Well, I guess Marc might have had a crush on Sarah."

"Ew! Luka, no! That's gross!"

Luka was sitting crossed legged on the floor of Yuki's room. The room was pink with white polka dots painted in random places. One of the dots said " Daddy Loves Yuki!" with a smiley face on the inside.

Yuki was standing on her bed and pretending that her Barbie™ doll was flying like a superhero. All the while, she was telling Luka about her days at school. They were somehow quite innocent.

Luka was flipping through a Junie B. Jones book and just enjoying the peace.

"Luka, are your mommy and daddy dead?"

Luka stopped flipping through the book and remained silent. Of course, physically her parents were not dead. Unless they had died in two days.

"You could say that."

Luka nodded to herself.

_They are dead to me. I would like to believe that they are dead and happy. I would like to believe that so much. _

Luka turned around and smiled at Yuki.

"So, tell me more about Marc and Sarah, are they your friends?"

Yuki looked at her uncertainly for a moment then nodded and smiled.

The two girls stopped talking when they heard a knock on the door.

"Yuki, you should get to sleep. We are having lunch at a friend of Luka's tomorrow."

"Really?! Yay!" Yuki sat down on her bed and pulled the covers over herself.

"Luka, are you excited, too?"

"Yes, of course." Luka smiled at Yuki and was about to exit the room.

"It's sorta like a field trip!"

Luka smiled to herself. "Yeah, Like a field trip."

Luka exited the room and walked over to hears and laid down on the bed and looked at the white ceiling. She was wearing a over-sized white button up shirt that Kiyoteru had frantically bought when Luka had informed him from the other side of the bathroom door that she did not have any other clothes than what she was wearing. She was also wearing a pair of sweatpants that were also a little big.

She looked glanced to her left and saw the red gloves lying on her bed beside her. She slipped them on.

With her gloved hands interlocked behind her head and her legs hanging off the side of the bed she fell asleep.

For once in her life she did not wake up from being to cold or her parents coughing.

_So warm._


End file.
